Arch supporting insole



March 11, 1952 H. A. TIEMAN ARCH SUPPORTING INsoLE Filed OGb. 18, 1947 Patented Mar. 1l, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARCH SUPPORTING INSOLE Harvey A. Ti-eman, St. Louis, Mo.

Application October-18, 1947, Serial No. 780,675

f 01. sei- 71) 6 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to an arch supporting insole, or the like, and has particular reference to a shoe construction wherein support is given at three critical points in the bone construction of the foot.

An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a shoe construction that affords elevational support of the foot adjacent the forward part of the heel on the inside, and particularly at the talus, that also provides support for the cuboid at the outei` part ofthe heel, and that provides support for the fourth metatarsal, and

'particularly the fourth metatarsal shaft.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe insert, or insole, that affords the elevational supports aforesaid in the simplest possible manner and with a maximum of convenience both of construction and of use.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shoe insole or insert, embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the insole or insert, with the present invention thereon;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal section take on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the invention, shown as it affects the bones of the foot.

In the particular embodiment, wherein the invention is shown in connection with an insole or insert to be used in a shoe, there is a member I that is preferably shaped like the sole of a shoe, and that may be inserted into a shoe or built into it, as the case may be. This insert has a forward part II and a heel part I2. Between these, there is a longitudinal arch or instep portion I3 that preferably is convexly curved in the instep portion as shown at I4.

On the under surface of the insert I0, there is formed an elevating part I that, in the preferred construction, is an attached element 4cemented or otherwise attached to the insole I0, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This portion l5 is shown as being formed with a straight forward edge I6, a lateral edge I1 that coincides with the convexedge I4 of the insert, and a widely convex edge I3 that joins the two edges I6 and Il. As shown particularly in Fig. 3, the edges of this member I5 are preferably skived, as shown at 20, the skiving adjacent the edge I1 being preferably relatively steep so that the elevation afforded adjacent the inner edge is relatively high. The skiving furnishes a means for ready provision of the proper amounts of elevation at the critical points, to be described.

By reference to Fig. 5, it may be seen that there are three particular points of support afforded by the present construction. The first of these is adjacent the letter A, which is below the neck or head of the talus; the second of these is adjacent the letter B, which is below the cuboid; the third of them is adjacent the letter C beneath the head of the fourth mtatarsal.

By this arrangement, particular support is given at the talus (point A), and hence to the primary load carrying portion of the inside of the heel. Further support is given at the cuboid (point B) which is the load carrying part of the outside edge of the heel. Furthermore, elevation is given at the poitn C adjacent the fourth metatarsal head, which is at the region where most metatarsal breakdown rst occurs. It will be understood that, when the insert is applied to the shoe, the convex portion I4 will be caused to be elevated by the shape of the instep of the shoe. This will bring the point A snugly up against the lower surface of the foot so as to give proper support to the talus or to the neck and head of the talus.

By the insert as described, the foot is properly balanced to maintain the bone structure in its natural relationship, despite muscular weakening. The degree of elevation at the points A, B and C may be changed by varying the skiving thereat, or by otherwise varying the thickness of the material.

The foregoing represents the preferred embodiment of the invention. Modifications may be made within the scope of the claims to follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe sole or the like comprising a sole member made of a fiat member shaped to the inside of the sole of a shoe and having a convex edge at the inner side of the arch portion, an elevating member disposed adjacent the arch portion of the sole member, comprising a piece of material having a convex edge to coincide with the convex edge of the arch portion of the sole member, a forward edge extending transversely of the shoe from the inner side of the sole member back of the first, second and third metatarsal heads, but extending under the forward part of the fourth metatarsal, a convex edge joining the aforesaid two edges of the elevating member, said convex edge extending inwardly of the forward end of the fifth metatarsal, but extending under the cuboid portion and under the talus portion so as to give support at the forward part of the fourth metatarsal, the cuboid and the talus.

2. A member for use within a shoe for elevating certain portions of a foot above the insole of the shoe; comprising a flat body member shaped like the insole of the shoe but having a convexshaped inner edge at the arch portion thereof; and an elevating member secured to the underside of said flat member below the arch of the foot; said elevating member having a first convex-shaped inner edge coincident with the convex-shaped edge of said body member; a forwardv edge extending inwardly and forwardly from the forward extremity of the convexshaped edge rearwardly of the heads of the first, second, and third metatarsal bones, to a point below the head of the fourth metatarsal bone; and a second convex-shaped edge extending rearwardly and inwardly from said point to thev rearward extremity of the first convex-shaped edge.

3. A member for use within a shoe for elevating certain portions of a foot above the insole `of the shoe; comprising a flat body member shaped like the insole of the shoe but having-a convex-shaped inner edge at the arch portion thereof; andan Aelevating member secured to the underside of said flat member below the arch of the foot; said elevating member having a first convex-shaped inner edge coincident with the convex-shaped edge of said body member; a forward edge extending inwardly and forwardly from the forward extremity of the convex-shaped edge rearwardly of the heads of the first, second, and third metatarsal bones, to a point below the head of the fourth metatarsal bone; and a second convex-shaped edge extending rearwardly and inwardly from said point to the rearward extremity of the rst convex-shaped edge, lsaid second convex-shaped edge passing inwardly of the forward end of the fth metatarsal bone, under the rearward end of said Vfth metatarsal bone, under the cuboid bone, and under the talus bone.

4. A member for use within a shoe for elevating certain portions of a foot above the insole of the shoe, comprising a flat body member shaped like the insole of the shoe and including` a longitudinally extending inner edge; an elevating member secured to the underside of said body member below the archof the foot, the elevating member having a straightforward edge extending transversely from the inner edge of the -body member, rearwardly of the heads of the first, second-and third-metatarsal bones toa point below the head of the fourth metatarsal bone; vand a convexshaped edge extending rearwardly and inwardly from said point below the head of the fourth metatarsal bone to the inner edge of the `body member rearwardly of said forward edge.

5. A member for use within a shoe for elevating certain portions of a foot above the insole of the shoe, comprising a fiat body member shaped like the insole of the shoe and including a longitudinally extending inner edge; an elevating member secured to the underside of said body member below the arch of the foot, the elevating member having a forward edge extending transversely from the inner edge of `the body member, rearwardly of the vheads of the first, second, and third metatarsal bones to a point below the head of the fourth metatarsal bone; and a convex-shaped edge extending rearwardly and inwardly from said vpoint below the head of the fourth metatarsal bone to the inner edge of the body member rearwardly of said forward edge, said convexshaped edge passing under the cuboid and under the talus.

6. A member for use within a shoe for elevating certain portions of a foot above the insole of the shoe, comprising a at body member shaped like the insole of the shoe and including a longitudinally extending inner edge; an elevating member secured to the underside of 4said body member below the arch of the foot, the elevating member having a forward edge extending transversely from the inner edge of the body member, rearwardly of the heads of the first, second, and third metatarsal bones to a point below the 'head of the fourth metatarsal bone; and a convex-shaped edge extending rearwardly and inwardly from said point below the head of the fourth metatarsal bone to the inner edge of the body member rearwardly of said forward edge, said convexshaped edge passing inwardly of the forward end of the fifth metatarsal bone under the rearward end of said fth metatarsal bone, under the cuboid bone, and under the talus bone.

HARVEY A. TIEMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,213,965 Spirlin Jan. 30, v191'? 1,697,589 Cort Jan. 1, 1929 1,992,081 Madinger Feb. 19, 1935 2,068,786 Balaskas Jan. 26, 1937 2,109,706 Musebeck Mar. 1, 1938 I2,161,565 Freda June 6, 1939 r2,310,824 Wyant Feb. 9, 1943 2,383,583 Becker Aug. 28, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country .Date

5,602 Great Britain Feb.'29, 1912 395,716 Great Britain July 10,1933 

